


A Forever Home

by Nefertiti1052 (Succubusphan)



Category: Phandom/The Fantastic Foursome (YouTube RPF)
Genre: Established Relationship, Fluff, M/M, a series of slice of life scenes, moving hill
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-29
Updated: 2020-09-29
Packaged: 2021-03-07 16:27:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,446
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26720629
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Succubusphan/pseuds/Nefertiti1052
Summary: Moving is a stressful process but it’s worth it in the end.
Relationships: Dan Howell/Phil Lester
Comments: 10
Kudos: 30





	A Forever Home

**Author's Note:**

  * For [olfrogbait](https://archiveofourown.org/users/olfrogbait/gifts).



It was a lazy spring night, Dan and Phil sat on their sofa drinking Rosé and endlessly scrolling through house listings. It was their way of window shopping lately. They had gotten to a point in their lives where they felt almost ready to finally go through with  it . Tonight it was Dan’s idea though, it felt like an itch he couldn’t scratch, he needed a change,  _ they  _ needed a change - they needed to move forward. So Dan scrolled and Phil sat patiently beside him, as he always did, watching him with a small smile upon his lips. 

Dan huffed when he clicked on the picture of a gorgeous house and found that it had no garden. It was promising, but it wasn’t  _ it _ . Maybe they were asking for too much from London; all the newly constructed or entirely upcycled houses were quite disappointing. This was supposed to be their forever home, so they didn’t want to settle for anything less than perfect.

Phil shuffled closer and wrapped one arm around him, pressing a small kiss to his temple. Dan took a deep breath and let his head fall onto Phil’s shoulder. Phil’s presence always served as a light in the darkness, grounding him, keeping him calm. 

“What about that one?” Phil pointed to an older and not so polished house.

“No, it’s -” Dan clicked on it anyway, looking at the pictures and reading the description. “It’s old.”

“Most houses in London are,” Phil pointed out.

“You know what I mean. Do we really want to take on a renovation project right now? We have too much on our plates already.” Dan’s coming out video was not ready yet and at this point, he wasn’t sure when it would be.

Phil hummed but ran his fingers on the trackpad, continuing to examine the surprising amount of pictures for that particular property. The garden was a bit run down as was part of the house. They would need to redo both bathrooms entirely, probably the electrical too to be on the safe side, but it was a two-storey house with a beautiful stone exterior. It was a good start. 

“I like this one. It has a garden and the stones remind me of the houses in Rossendale,” Phil said. There was a swing in it too, but he didn’t mention it. 

“I guess, but that kind of roof is a bit of a waste of space and it needs quite a bit of fixing up. It would take a lot of time and money to get it to our liking.”

“We still have a year in the lease here, we could buy it and start the renovation slowly so that we can move out when the contract is over. We could turn that roof into an owl slide.”

Dan snorted but remained silent for a moment. He couldn’t deny that the pictures were good. The house had character and, with the right work, it could become their dream house. “Do you really like it?” He asked, his voice barely above a whisper.

“Yeah, I think it’s a good price and a nice shell for us to perfect. It’s a start.” Phil clicked on a particular picture that caught his eye. “There could be a small Koi pond there,” he pointed to the right side of the garden.

Dan smiled.

“We could put a deck here, so we can sit outside on summer nights and watch the stars and plant some roses to give the garden some life.” Phil clicked to another picture. “This could be the master bathroom, we could put a big tub in, where we could both fit comfortably.” 

This time, Dan laughed. Phil was very convincing. He could picture all of his suggestions and more. A beautiful garden with many plants, maybe even some trees, beautiful glass doors leading to the yard, high ceilings on the second floor and a nice island in the kitchen. “Ok, I see it. It could work.”

“Yes!” Phil pecked him on the lips softly. “Do you really like it?” This time Phil looked at him in the eyes, trying to determine if Dan was really in love with the house as he was or if he was just humouring him.

Dan's smile widened. “I do. I think we should get it and make it our own. As long as I don’t have to do any construction work, I’m in.”

Phil laughed. “Are you crazy, bub? We would set it on fire before we even got the chance to move in.”

“Why is everything always on fire, I  _ curse  _ the day I chose that username.”

“The amazing house is not on fire!” Phil squealed, doing that stupid smile Dan loved so much, the one with his tongue sticking out. 

With a gentle push, Phil found himself sitting on the floor but he didn’t stop laughing so he also got a cushion to the face from an extremely fond Dan.

The dream that started that night would soon turn into reality. They put an offer on the stone house and hired a contractor to get the construction going. 

Even though it had been his idea, Phil often pouted about how long it was taking to make everything perfect. He had gotten obsessed with the idea of planting roses in their garden, so Dan bought him a little rose in a pot for him to tend to and help him satisfy that craving in some way. Phil looked tired of dealing with anything related to the setbacks, dark circles under his eyes spoke of the countless sleepless nights he spent worrying, but Dan’s small gesture brought a smile to his lips and a bit of light to his face. Phil sighed and kissed him softly, buried his fingers in Dan’s hair and pressed their foreheads together. Planting this particular rose in their garden became his new mission in life, if he managed to keep it alive until then that is.

\--

By March of the following year, the house is almost done. The finish line feels so close yet so far. Even though the moving date is in May, they now know better than to expect things to go smoothly, so they mentally give themselves another two months to avoid any disappointments and affecting their work schedule in advance for nothing. 

One could say that they had accounted for many setbacks, even more than most people would even consider for this stage in the project, but a global pandemic was the last thing on anyone’s mind. When it finally hits the UK at full force, it takes them by surprise. Only the bathrooms, the deck, the garden and a few minor details are still unfinished so they can’t move just yet, but that becomes the last thing on their minds. So many lives are changing and some are taken and they are confined to this apartment that is much bigger than what most people have but still feels so small in this context. 

They grudgingly renew their lease for another six months in hopes that it will be enough time to make things work. Nearly every single one of their projects is on hold and the sudden open calendar feels more constricting than freeing, so they both transit the lockdown in their own way. 

Phil starts paying more attention to the pigeons that feed at their balcony. He takes better care of his plants and eventually starts experimenting with making new plants out of the existing ones. 

Dan tries to maintain an exercise routine but gives up within the first few weeks. He writes and writes and after a few months of complaining about people learning to make sourdough bread out of some sort of existential crisis, he gives up. 

Phil knew that would be the case the moment Dan got  _ obsessed  _ with complaining about everyone baking. It was Connor’s video that finally broke him. One morning Phil wakes up to an empty bed and follows the delicious smell to the kitchen, he recognizes Connor’s voice before he even sees what Dan is doing. He walks in and catches Dan looking at the tray through the oven door and checking the timer with a sigh. 

“It’s 8.30,” Phil says tiredly but a smile is pulling at the corners of his mouth.

“I couldn’t sleep anymore so I decided to make bread,” Dan says distractedly, leaving the kitchen towel on the counter and leaning back against it.

“Doesn’t it take like 12 hours?” Phil frowned and put on the kettle. 

“I started last night,  _ mum _ . Leave me alone.” It’s a joke, but the tone reveals much more about Dan’s mental state than his words, he’s in a good mood but tired.

Phil chuckles and goes about making his coffee. He cocks his head when he finds a jar with white goop inside. “What’s this?”

“That’s the starter, don’t throw it out, it took me a week to make it.” Dan takes the jar from his hands gently and puts it back in the cabinet.

“You have been working on this for a while.” Phil raises his eyebrows at him. “I’m sorry, I should have noticed.” He shakes his head in disappointment.

“Noticed what?” Dan asks, looking anywhere but Phil. 

“All the effort you were making. That you were stressed. I don’t know.” Phil’s shoulders drop.

“I’m fine, and you were tending to the plants - we need those.” Dan puts his hand on Phil’s shoulder and gives it a little squeeze. “That’s something to look forward to. The moment we get to plant them at the house.”

Phil smiles. “Our house.”

“Yeah,  _ our  _ house.”

They spend the rest of the day in each other’s arms, reading, chatting, eating bread, drinking wine … plotting on how to catch an injured pigeon. 

Not everything goes according to plan in life but that’s ok; it’s nothing that chilled wine under the stars and lazy kisses can’t fix. 

\--

After weeks of trying, they finally manage to trap their old buddy Steve and get him the care he needs. Scraggy waits patiently for him which makes them incredibly happy. Sometimes a family can be two gay lovers, a betta fish and two married pigeons sharing the same space and caring for each other.

Eventually, the light at the end of the tunnel shines brighter. Restrictions start to ease, people return to work, the renovation continues, although at a slower pace to ensure the safety of the workers. Dan and Phil don’t see a reason to go out, not yet. The world is a scary place even under normal circumstances but the last few months were a different kind of twilight zone. At least they still have each other.

Everything starts to feel a bit more real. Moving Day is so close that they can taste it. The inevitability of the passage of time finally hits them as they put their belongings into boxes. Finally getting around to packing hits differently. It’s not renovations in a house they can’t go visit and can’t see themselves, even if they get updates in videos - finally putting their life back into boxes is what turns the imaginary into their reality.

Soon, their life becomes a different kind of twilight zone, one where the flat feels no longer like home, but where the new house isn’t either. Finding the cutlery, a hairbrush and even a bowl becomes an adventure. Dan wishes they were the kind of people who organize everything neatly but they don’t have it in them. 

Dan continues baking every few days and actually gets good at it. They make it a habit to go to bed at ten just to cuddle and watch TV. It occurs to Dan that this feels like the marriage life he had always perceived as somewhat of an unattainable dream for him; he smiles for his younger self and holds onto Phil a little tighter. He feels completely at peace. It doesn’t matter that they have to wait and that everything changed so drastically, as long as he is with Phil, he knows he will be fine. 

\--

The day finally arrives. It feels like any other autumn day, remarkably ordinary, yet it’s the day they finally get to move into the house they have been working so hard for. 

They hire someone to clean up the construction site to keep Phil’s allergies under control and choose to handle the cleaning in the old apartment themselves. After all, it’s a good way to say goodbye to the place that holds so many memories for them. 

After everything is said and done, they make sure that everything is loaded into the moving truck and leave for the new house. 

They make their way to the front door and pause for a moment, smiling at each other with the keys in their hands. It’s nerve-wracking to finally be able to see how everything looks, but in the end, Dan hurries to open the door when Phil offers to carry him through the threshold. When they finally walk in, they  _ love  _ it. It’s still empty, but it’s home. Their forever home.

Dan shuts the door behind them with a huge smile; this is what he has always wanted, a house for them to share the rest of their lives in. He turns around and pins Phil to the door, kissing him hungrily and running his hands down Phil’s sides. 

A muffled surprised yelp is all that can be heard from Phil’s side, but soon enough he smiles and loses himself in the kiss. The sound of the moving truck parking outside interrupts them, but Phil is having none of that, he grabs Dan’s hand and heads upstairs.

After a much-needed kissing break in the bathroom, they decide to start settling some things down. Phil suggests the garden first, Dan knows it’s not the most efficient task to tackle at the moment but the number of people coming and going and all the noise is getting a bit much for both of them, so he nods. 

Phil is dismayed to notice that the grass was nearly entirely ruined by the construction materials that laid on it for months at a time. ‘I should have known that would happen,’ Phil shakes his head with a sigh and puts buying grass seeds on his to-do list on his phone.

They direct the moving guys, telling them where to put everything and once Norman’s tank is safely set in the lounge, they go to the garden and stay there for the most part, answering questions and thanking the employees when they are done. Before the day is over, Phil brings the rose Dan bought him almost a year ago and plants it close to the fence. Dan offers to help, but Phil shushes him away. This is his project and he is incredibly proud of himself for keeping the plant alive when they are not meant to last that long.

Dan starts unpacking some of the boxes, taking some of them to the rooms where their contents will stay to make things easier. He stands in their empty bedroom for a moment and sighs, everything worked out in the end. He feels incredibly excited to make this place really theirs.

Dan walks to the window and smiles when he sees Phil carrying more plant pots outside to settle his plant-children into the ground and decides to go down to help his man before he can hurt himself. 

The rest of the afternoon is spent planting Phil’s quarantine-bred plants in an enjoyable silence, heading inside when it gets a bit too chilly. 

Dinner becomes an exhausting task when they realize that they don’t know where anything is so they decide to sit in their empty kitchen and order Chinese. There’s no internet or TV service because they decided to take their first few days home unplugging from social media. The appointment for the installation is set for next week.

After they are done eating, they head to their bedroom and make the bed together, unboxing some of the things for their nightstands and settle down for the night. Phil takes a book for each out of his backpack but Dan falls asleep before he can finish the first page; Phil sets his book down, turns off the lights and cuddles up to his sleeping boyfriend. 

Three days later, the deafening sound of a thunderstorm wakes Dan up in the middle of the night. He turns toward the window, blinking repeatedly to adjust his eyes and sees lightning, followed closely by roaring thunder. He shivers and shuffles back into Phil’s embrace. His mind wanders to the furniture on the deck and whether or not they put the covers on them until there’s a weird noise coming from downstairs. Dan’s heart rises to his throat but he stays quiet. He doesn’t want to wake Phil up and terrorize him with the more-than-likely inaccurate story of a possible home invasion. 

Dan waits a few minutes, trying to listen for any abnormal noises but if there are any, the heavy rain is drowning them out. He allows himself to relax and tries to go back to sleep but then the noise returns, so he slides out of bed as quietly as possible and heads downstairs.

His heart is hammering in his chest but he reminds himself they have an alarm system and he has his phone in his hand. If anything is actually happening, he can run, lock the bedroom door and call the police. He takes a deep breath and almost jumps when there’s a scratching sound coming from the other side of the door. Dan flushes to the wall, moves the curtain back a bit and looks out the window, only to see a dog taking cover on their porch. He looks like it’s a stray dog, but he looks well-fed and healthy, aside from being soaking wet. The dog starts to cry and Dan’s debate on whether or not to let him in is decided. Even if he was someone else’s dog, they can figure it out tomorrow.

He opens the door, letting the dog in, almost has a coronary when Phil speaks right behind him. “Dan?”

“Jesus! You scared me to death.” Dan puts a hand to his chest.

“Sorry, I woke up and you weren’t there. What happened? Who’s dog is that?”

“I think it’s a stray, he was scratching at the door and crying. I want to let him sleep inside and tomorrow we can check if he belongs to any of the neighbours.”

Phil scratches his head sleepily and blinks a few times. “Ok, but where do we put him?” He pats the dog’s head absentmindedly, causing him to wag his wet tail against his leg.

“The downstairs bathroom, I guess. We should dry him a bit though and put some towels down so he can sleep warm.”

“Ok. You do that while I grab some leftover chicken and water for him, he could be hungry.”

Dan hums in agreement and starts walking to the bathroom. “Come in  _ you _ , we’ll get you dry.” He snaps his fingers and the dog follows him wagging his tail all the way. “Sorry about the boxes, we just moved in,” Dan comments, as if the dog would care.

Phil smiles and goes about getting some food and water for the pupper. ‘If he really is a stray… we already have a yard, it wouldn’t be so hard to take care of him, honestly.’ 

The mostly-dry-dog spends the night in the bathroom, licking their fingers every time they go to check on him and overall being a good boy. The toilet paper had some sort of accident on its own,  _ surely _ ; it had nothing to do with the dog. 

Some inquiry reveals that Adam is indeed a stray. The vet confirms that he seems to be in good health and he is not chipped so they share a look. Phil merely nods, grabbing a few bowls and toys and they leave with  _ their  _ dog and a big bag of food for him. Adam needs a forever home too after all.

Adam was the missing piece in the puzzle, apparently. Life has its ups and downs but their little family is happy overall. Once Adam has passed the doggy training tests, Dan sets about starting that DIY Koi Pond; luckily he has a loyal friend who likes to dig.

They settle into a nice routine, wet kisses in the morning, courtesy of Adam, and sometimes of Dan, lots of cuddles and setting time to unplug together and enjoy life. 

Life has a new normal and it’s pretty sweet. 

**Author's Note:**

> This fic was written for @olfrogbait who won the raffle for one of my fics during Dan’s birthday stream, thanks for being awesome and giving me the liberty to create something for you, I hope you like it. Thank you so much to @schnaf and @thoughtathought for beta reading and for being amazing friends.
> 
> Follow me on Tumblr: [Succubusphan](http://Succubusphan.tumblr.com/)
> 
> In case you wish to reblog the fic: [Tumblr Link](https://succubusphan.tumblr.com/post/630631305679405056/a-forever-home)
> 
> Comments and Kudos are appreciated!!!!


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